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Gulf oil spill: NASA images explain the disaster

View of a disaster

When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig sank in the Gulf of Mexico on April 22, no one was prepared for the massive environmental disaster that would ensue. Months later, millions of gallons of oil continued to spew into the Gulf, endangering wildlife, contaminating waters and threatening this fragile ecosystem.

Satellite images from NASA's Earth Observatory captured the disaster as it unfolded, providing a unique bird's-eye view of the massive oil slick as it stretched across the Gulf. (Text: Laura Moss)

View of a disaster

When the Deepwater Horizon oil rig sank in the Gulf of Mexico on April 22, no one was prepared for the massive environmental disaster that would ensue. Months later, millions of gallons of oil continued to spew into the Gulf, endangering wildlife, contaminating waters and threatening this fragile ecosystem.

Satellite images from NASA's Earth Observatory captured the disaster as it unfolded, providing a unique bird's-eye view of the massive oil slick as it stretched across the Gulf. (Text: Laura Moss)